Status of Mosul After ISIS

17 July 2017, New York, USA | South-South News — An Iraqi official told reporters at the United Nations in New York on July 14 that the central goal of the Iraqi security forces was “to eliminate all terrorist groups inside the city of Mosul and not allow any of them to escape from the city, as they represent a continuous and a future threat should they survive.”

Mohammed Marzooq, who is the Charge' D'affaires at the Iraqi to the UN, said ISIS had “increased its use of suicide bombers to slow down the advance of Iraqi forces, but they were unsuccessful.”

Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced the full liberation of the city of Mosul and the defeat of ISIS on Monday, July 10.

Asked about vengeance killings and civilian casualties, Marzooq said, “This is the war. In the war you lose something. And you have our priorities; our priority in this war is to protect civilians as much as we can. But as you know, it’s the war, sometimes they make casualties, they make martyrs, but this is the war.”

Regarding reconstruction, Marzooq said “not only the Mosul, but all the liberated cities like Falluja, Ramadi, Baiji, and Salah ad Din. All these cities need reconstruction. Also, to return back the IDPs to their homes and to begin life again.”

The Security Council issued a statement on July 13 saying that the liberation of Mosul marked an “important milestone” in the global fight against ISIS, welcoming the announcement by Iraqi authorities that the city has been freed of the terrorist group.